| Protection of creation an important element of peace
and justice
On Monday, 11 January
[2010], the Holy Father received the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the
Holy See at the Vatican for the traditional exchange of New Year
greetings. The following is a translation of the Pope's Address for the
occasion, which was given in French.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
This traditional meeting at the beginning of the year,
two weeks after the celebration of the birth of the Incarnate Word, is a
very joyful occasion for me. As we proclaimed in the liturgy: "We
recognize in Christ the revelation of your love. No eye can see his
glory as our God, yet now he is seen as one like us. Christ is your Son
before all ages, yet now he is born in time. He has come to lift up all
things to himself, to restore unity to creation" (Preface of
Christmas II). At Christmas we contemplated the mystery of
God and the mystery of creation: by the message of the angels to the
shepherds, we received the good news of man's salvation and the renewal
of the entire universe. That is why, in my
Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace,
I urged all persons of good will
—
those same men and women to whom the
angels rightly promised peace
—
to protect creation. In the same spirit of joy I am happy to greet each
of you today, particularly those present for the first time at this
ceremony. I thank you most heartily for the good wishes conveyed to me
by your Dean, Ambassador Alejandro Valladares Lanza, and I repeat how
much I esteem your mission to the Holy See. Through you I send cordial
greetings and good wishes for peace and happiness to the leaders and
people of the countries which you worthily represent. My thoughts also
go to all the other nations of the earth: the Successor of Peter keeps
his door open to everyone in the hope of maintaining relations which can
contribute to the progress of the human family. It is a cause for deep
satisfaction that, just a few weeks ago, full diplomatic relations were
established between the Holy See and the Russian Federation. The recent
visit of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was likewise
very significant; Vietnam is a country close to my heart, where the
Church is celebrating her centuries-long presence by a Jubilee Year. In
this spirit of openness, throughout 2009 I met many political leaders
from all over the world; I also visited some of them and would like to
continue to do so, insofar as is possible.
The Church is open to everyone because, in God, she
lives for others! She thus shares deeply in the fortunes of humanity,
which in this new year continues to be marked by the dramatic crisis of
the global economy and consequently a serious and widespread social
instability. In my Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, I
invited everyone to look to the deeper causes of this situation: in the
last analysis, they are to be found in a current self-centred and
materialistic way of thinking which fails to acknowledge the limitations
inherent in every creature. Today I would like to stress that the same
way of thinking also endangers creation. Each of us could probably cite
an example of the damage that this has caused to the environment the
world over. I will offer an example, from any number of others, taken
from the recent history of Europe. Twenty years ago, after the fall of
the Berlin wall and the collapse of the materialistic and atheistic
regimes which had for several decades dominated a part of this
continent, was it not easy to assess the great harm which an economic
system lacking any reference to the truth about man had done not only to
the dignity and freedom of individuals and peoples, but to nature
itself, by polluting soil, water and air? The denial of God distorts the
freedom of the human person, yet it also devastates creation. It follows
that the protection of creation is not principally a response to an
aesthetic need, but much more to a moral need, in as much as nature
expresses a plan of love and truth which is prior to us and which comes
from God.
For this reason I share the growing concern caused by
economic and political resistance to combatting the degradation of the
environment. This problem was evident even recently, during the XV
Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Copenhagen from 7 to 18
December last. I trust that in the course of this year, first in Bonn
and later in Mexico City, it will be possible to reach an agreement for
effectively dealing with this question. The issue is all the more
important in that the very future of some nations is at stake,
particularly some island states.
It is proper, however, that this concern and commitment
for the environment should be situated within the larger framework of
the great challenges now facing mankind. If we wish to build true peace,
how can we separate, or even set at odds, the protection of the
environment and the protection of human life, including the life of the
unborn? It is in man's respect for himself that his sense of
responsibility for creation is shown. As Saint Thomas Aquinas has
taught, man represents all that is most noble in the universe (cf.
Summa Theologiae, I, q. 29, a. 3). Furthermore, as I noted
during the recent FAO World Summit on Food Security, "the world has
enough food for all its inhabitants" (Address of 16 November 2009,
n. 2) provided that selfishness does not lead some to hoard the
goods which are intended for all.
I would like to stress
again that the protection of creation calls for an appropriate
management of the natural resources of different countries and, in the
first place, of those which are economically disadvantaged. I think of
the continent of Africa, which I had the joy of visiting last March
during my journey to Cameroon and Angola, and which was the subject of
the deliberations of the recent Special Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops. The Synod Fathers pointed with concern to the erosion and
desertification of large tracts of arable land as a result of
overexploitation and environmental pollution (cf. Propositio 22).
In Africa, as elsewhere, there is a need to make political and economic
decisions which ensure "forms of agricultural and industrial production
capable of respecting creation and satisfying the primary needs of all"
(Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace, n. 10).
How can we forget, for that
matter, that the struggle for access to natural resources is one of the
causes of a number of conflicts, not least in Africa, as well as a
continuing threat elsewhere? For this reason too, I forcefully repeat
that to cultivate peace, one must protect creation! Furthermore, there
are still large areas, for example in Afghanistan or in some countries
of Latin America, where agriculture is unfortunately still linked to the
production of narcotics, and is a not insignificant source of employment
and income. If we want peace, we need to preserve creation by
rechanneling these activities; I once more urge the international
community not to become resigned to the drug trade and the grave moral
and social problems which it creates.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the
protection of creation is indeed an important element of peace and
justice! Among the many challenges which it presents, one of the most
serious is increased military spending and the cost of maintaining and
developing nuclear arsenals. Enormous resources are being consumed for
these purposes, when they could be spent on the development of peoples,
especially those who are poorest. For this reason I firmly hope that,
during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held
this May in New York, concrete decisions will be made towards
progressive disarmament, with a view to freeing our planet from nuclear
arms. More generally, I deplore the fact that arms production and export
helps to perpetuate conflicts and violence, as in Darfur, in Somalia or
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Together with the inability of
the parties directly involved to step back from the spiral of violence
and pain spawned by these conflicts, there is the apparent powerlessness
of other countries and the international organizations to restore peace,
to say nothing of the indifference, amounting practically to
resignation, of public opinion worldwide. There is no need to insist on
the extent to which such conflicts damage and degrade the environment.
Finally, how can I fail to mention terrorism, which endangers countless
innocent lives and generates widespread anxiety. On this solemn
occasion, I would like to renew the appeal which I made during the
Angelus prayer of 1 January last to all those belonging to armed groups,
of whatever kind, to abandon the path of violence and to open their
hearts to the joy of peace.
The grave acts of violence
to which I have just alluded, combined with the scourges of poverty,
hunger, natural disasters and the destruction of the environment, have
helped to swell the ranks of those who migrate from their native land.
Given the extent of this exodus, I wish to exhort the various civil
authorities to carry on their work with justice, solidarity and
foresight. Here I wish to speak in particular of the Christians of the
Middle East. Beleaguered in various ways, even in the exercise of their
religious freedom, they are leaving the land of their forebears, where
the Church took root during the earliest centuries. To offer them
encouragement and to make them feel the closeness of their brothers and
sisters in faith, I have convened for next autumn a Special Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East.
Ladies and Gentlemen, to
this point I have alluded only to a few aspects of the problem of the
environment. Yet the causes of the situation which is now evident to
everyone are of the moral order, and the question must be faced within
the framework of a great programme of education aimed at promoting an
effective change of thinking and at creating new lifestyles. The
community of believers can and wants to take part in this, but, for it
to do so, its public role must be recognized. Sadly, in certain
countries, mainly in the West, one increasingly encounters in political
and cultural circles, as well in the media, scarce respect and at times
hostility, if not scorn, directed towards religion and towards
Christianity in particular. It is clear that if relativism is considered
an essential element of democracy, one risks viewing secularity solely
in the sense of excluding or, more precisely, denying the social
importance of religion. But such an approach creates confrontation and
division, disturbs peace, harms human ecology and, by rejecting in
principle approaches other than its own, finishes in a dead end. There
is thus an urgent need to delineate a positive and open secularity
which, grounded in the just autonomy of the temporal order and the
spiritual order, can foster healthy cooperation and a spirit of shared
responsibility. Here I think of Europe, which, now that the Lisbon
Treaty has taken effect, has entered a new phase in its process of
integration, a process which the Holy See will continue to follow with
close attention. Noting with satisfaction that the Treaty provides for
the European Union to maintain an "open, transparent and regular"
dialogue with the Churches (Art. 17), I express my hope that in building
its future, Europe will always draw upon the wellsprings of its
Christian identity. As I said during my Apostolic Visit last September
to the Czech Republic, Europe has an irreplaceable role to play "for the
formation of the conscience of each generation and the promotion of a
basic ethical consensus that serves every person who calls this
continent home'" (Meeting with Political and Civil Authorities and
with the Diplomatic Corps, 26 September 2009).
To carry our reflection
further, we must remember that the problem of the environment is
complex; one might compare it to a multifaceted prism. Creatures differ
from one another and can be protected, or endangered, in different ways,
as we know from daily experience. One such attack comes from laws or
proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the
biological basis of the difference between the sexes. I am thinking, for
example, of certain countries in Europe or North and South America.
Saint Columban stated that: "If you take away freedom, you take away
dignity" (Ep. 4 ad Attela, in S. Columbani Opera,
Dublin, 1957, p. 34). Yet freedom cannot be absolute, since man is not
himself God, but the image of God, God's creation. For man, the path to
be taken cannot be determined by caprice or willfulness, but must rather
correspond to the structure willed by the Creator.
The protection of creation
also entails other challenges, which can only be met by international
solidarity. I think of the natural disasters which this past year have
sown death, suffering and destruction in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia and Taiwan. Nor can I pass over Indonesia and, closer to us,
the Abruzzi region, hit by devastating earthquakes. Faced with events
like these, generous aid should never be lacking, since the life itself
of God's children is at stake. Yet, in addition to solidarity, the
protection of creation also calls for concord and stability between
states. Whenever disagreements and conflicts arise among them, in order
to defend peace they must tenaciously pursue the path of constructive
dialogue. This is what happened twenty-five years ago with the Treaty of
Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chile, reached thanks to the
mediation of the Apostolic See. That Treaty has borne abundant fruit in
cooperation and prosperity which have in some way benefited all of Latin
America. In this same area of the world, I am pleased by the
rapprochement upon which Columbia and Ecuador have embarked after
several months of tension. Closer to us, I am gratified by the agreement
concluded between Croatia and Slovenia on arbitration regarding their
sea and land borders. I am also pleased by the accord between Armenia
and Turkey for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations, and I
express my hope that, through dialogue, relations will improve among all
the countries of the southern Caucasus. In the course of my pilgrimage
to the Holy Land, I urgently appealed to the Israelis and the
Palestinians to dialogue and to respect each others' rights. Once again
I call for a universal recognition of the right of the State of Israel
to exist and to enjoy peace and security within internationally
recognized borders. Likewise, the right of the Palestinian people to a
sovereign and independent homeland, to live in dignity and to enjoy
freedom of movement, ought to be recognized. I would also like to
request the support of everyone for the protection of the identity and
sacred character of Jerusalem, and of its cultural and religious
heritage, which is of universal value. Only thus will this unique city,
holy yet deeply afflicted, be a sign and harbinger of that peace which
God desires for the whole human family. Out of love for the dialogue and
peace which protect creation, I exhort the government leaders and the
citizens of Iraq to overcome their divisions and the temptation to
violence and intolerance, in order to build together the future of their
country. The Christian communities also wish to make their own
contribution, but if this is to happen, they need to be assured respect,
security and freedom. Pakistan has been also hard hit by violence in
recent months and certain episodes were directly aimed at the Christian
minority. I ask that everything be done to avoid the reoccurrence of
such acts of aggression, and to ensure that Christians feel fully a part
of the life of their country. In speaking of acts of violence against
Christians, I cannot fail to mention also the deplorable attack which
the Egyptian Coptic community suffered in recent days, during its
celebration of Christmas. Concerning Iran, I express my hope that
through dialogue and cooperation joint solutions will be found on the
national as well as the international level. I encourage Lebanon, which
has emerged from a lengthy political crisis, to continue along the path
of concord. I hope that Honduras, after a period of uncertainty and
unrest, will move towards a recovery of normal political and social
life. I desire the same for Guinea and Madagascar with the effective and
disinterested aid of the international community.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at
the end of this rapid overview which, due to its brevity, cannot mention
every situation worthy of note, I am reminded of the words of the
Apostle Paul, for whom "all creation groans and is in agony" and "we
ourselves groan inwardly" (Rom 8:20-23). There is so much suffering in
our world, and human selfishness continues in many ways to harm
creation. For this reason, the yearning for salvation which affects all
creation is that much more intense and present in the hearts of all men
and women, believers and non-believers alike. The Church points out that
the response to this aspiration is Christ "the firstborn of all
creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created"
(Col 1:15-16). Looking to him, I exhort every person of good will to
work confidently and generously for the sake of human dignity and
freedom. May the light and strength of Jesus help us to respect human
ecology, in the knowledge that natural ecology will likewise benefit,
since the book of nature is one and indivisible. In this way we will be
able to build peace, today and for the sake of generations to come. To
all I wish a Happy New Year!
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